File photo Jay Haas lines up his shot on the 15th hole at Harbour Town during the Heritage golf tournament in the late 1990s. Haas met his wife, Jan, at the Heritage in 1977. His son, Bill, will play in the 45th annual event this week.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — It would be hard to top the reason behind pro golfer Bill Haas’ fondness for the RBC Heritage.

“Basically, the Heritage tournament is the reason I exist,” he said of the annual event, which starts with Monday’s opening ceremony at Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island.

Haas, 30, is the son of successful PGA Tour and now Champions Tour player Jay Haas, who entered the Heritage as a rookie in 1977. Jay’s future bride, Jan, also was on location.

“He met her on the course,” Bill explained. “He somehow asked her out and they went out that weekend.”

Jay Haas tied for 29th in the tournament, and eventually — thanks to that first date — he tied the knot with Jan.

Bill Haas was born in May 1982 in Charlotte, N.C., and the family moved to Greenville when he was 2.

Still a Greenville resident, Bill Haas said playing on Hilton Head each year feels like a home tournament.

“It’s a tournament that’s special to our family and one that I’ll never miss,” he said. “It’s a four-hour drive down there. It’s one, when I’m down there, I feel like I’m a little more local than even a four-hour drive.”

Haas was at Augusta National Golf Club last week, where the Masters regularly precedes the Heritage on the PGA Tour schedule. Sometimes that works against the Heritage because some golfers feel the need for a break after playing in the major.

Favored destination

Other tour pros believe the Heritage, played at Harbour Town in the Sea Pines Resort, is just the antidote they need to help decompress.

“If it was a different tournament, I may not go (after the Masters),” Haas said, “but the fact it is that tournament, I’ll always go as long as they have it there. I’ll definitely be going.”

Another Greenville resident and a native of that city, Lucas Glover also feels strongly about the Heritage, which is the lone PGA Tour event in South Carolina.

“It’s a big deal for our state, and me being from there, I love to play there,” said Glover. “It’s a great week.”

It’s an annual event that almost went away despite being a fixture in the Lowcountry since 1969. After title sponsor Verizon fulfilled its contract in 2010 and did not renew, the Heritage’s nonprofit foundation picked up the tab for 2011 with local government, business and community support.

The future of the Heritage on Hilton Head — a small market in the context of the PGA Tour — looked cloudy despite overwhelming support from the players, who regard the course as one of their favorites on tour.

The Royal Bank of Canada came to the rescue as title sponsor, and Boeing assisted as presenting sponsor, to secure the tournament from 2012 through at least 2016.

“It’s huge that … RBC and Boeing have stepped up and, hopefully, they’ve started to realize they can get a lot out of that exposure and bringing clients down there, and how great the Lowcountry is,” Bill Haas said. “Hilton Head and Bluffton and Beaufort — all of that area down there is beautiful.”

Hoping for history

Haas said there’s “a fine line” in the dynamic of the area hosting a PGA Tour event.

“I think everybody down there likes it being small, a hidden gem,” he said, “but also you want people to know how great it is and how much everybody enjoys having that tournament down there.”

They might enjoy it even more if a local boy made good there. No South Carolinian has won the Heritage.

Glover, the winner of the 2009 U.S. Open and two other PGA Tour events, did not know that fact and said it “absolutely” would make it more special. He has played in the Heritage 10 times, with his best finish a tie for seventh in 2008.

Haas said given his parents’ personal history there, and his own creation, “to win that tournament would be extra special for sure.”

His best outcome in eight Heritage events is a tie for 27th in 2006, but there’s always this year.

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